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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rest — a break
  3. race — humankind
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — music
  6. chest — a box
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chest — of your body
  9. march — the month
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. staff — employees
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. staff — employees
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. march — the month
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. stem — to come from

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com